Protective helmet

ABSTRACT

A RIGID SHELL HAVING A PAIR OF EARCUPS MOUNTED WITHIN THE SHELL AND AN INTERNAL RIGGING FOR SUPPORTING THE SHELL IN SPACED RELATION TO A WEARER&#39;&#39;S HEAD. THE RIGGING INCLUDES FRONT AND REAR HEADBANDS EACH ANCHORED AT ITS ENDS TO THE SHELL AND FIXED LENGTH SHORTER THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN ITS ANCHORAGE POINTS AS MEASURED ALONG THE SHELL CIRCUMFERENCE, ONE OR MORE PADS DETACHABLY SECURED TO THE REAR HEADBAND FOR ADJUSTING THE HEAD SIZE OF THE RIGGING, AND A PLURALITY OF HEADSTRAPS CROSSING EACH OTHER ABOVE THE CROWN OF THE HEAD WITHIN THE HELMET. A PAIR OF SIDE HEADBANDS RESPECTIVELY EXTEND ALONG OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE SHELL INTERIOR ABOVE THE EARCUPS, EACH SIDE HEADBAND BEING FIXEDLY SECURED AT ITS OPPOSITE ENDS TO THE FRONT AND REAR HEADBANDS. THE SIDE HEADBANDS MAY EACH COMPRISE OVERLAPPING FRONT AND REAR PIECES, DETACHABLY SECURED TOGETHER, SO AS TO BE ADJUSTABLE IN LENGTH. A CROWN PAD IS ADJUSTABLY SUSPENDED ON THE HEADSTRAPS FOR CUSHIONING THE CROWN OF THE WEARER&#39;&#39;S HEAD.

Oct. 19, 1971 J. A. ALLEO PROTECTIVE HELMET 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 24, 1969 INVENTOR.

Oct. 19, 1971 J. ALLEO 3,613,113

PROTECTIVE HELMET Filed July 24, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent O F 3,613,113 PROTECTIVE HELMET Jackson Anthony Aileo, Carbondale, Pa., assignor to Gentex Corporation, Carbondale, Pa. Filed July 24, 1969, Ser. No. 844,273 Int. Cl. A42b 3/00 U.S. Cl. 2-3 12 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A rigid shell helment having a pair of earcups mounted within the shell and an internal rigging for supporting the shell in spaced relation to a wearers head. The rigging includes front and rear headbands each anchored at its ends to the shell and of fixed length shorter than the distance between its anchorage points as measured along the shell circumference; one or more pads detachably secured to the rear headband for adjusting the head size of the rigging; and a plurality of headstraps crossing each other above the crown of the head within the helmet. A pair of side headbands respectively extend along opposite sides of the shell interior above the earcups, each side headband being fixedly secured at its opposite ends to the front and rear headbands. The side headbands may each comprise overlapping front and rear pieces, detachably secured together, so as to be adjustable in length. A crown pad is adjustably suspended on the headstraps for cushioning the crown of the wearers head.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to rigid shell helmets for protecting the head of a wearer, and specifically concerns improvements in internal riggings for such helmets.

A protective helmet having a rigid head-covering shell is frequently provided with a rigging of flexible bands and straps suspended from the interior of the shell for engaging the wearers head and supporting the shell in spaced relation thereto. The rigging serves to position the shell stably on the head and to cushion the head from blows or impacts impinging on the shell, i.e. to absorb the energy of such blows or impacts. In addition to the rigging, sound-attenuating earcups may be mounted within the shell for shielding the wearers ears from annoying or potentially damaging levels of ambient noise. Helmets of this type are widely used by persons engaged in occupations or activities involving a hazard of head injury and also involving exposure to high ambient noise levels.

Known forms of rigging employed in rigid shell helmets commonly include headband elements extending more or less horizontally across the interior of the shell to engage at least the front and rear of the wearers head, together with plural headstraps crossing above and bearing upon the crown of the head. Preferably, for optimum helmet stability, the headband elements engage the head relatively far below the crown of the head. It is also often preferred that the head band assembly include portions or elements engaging the sides of the head as well as the front and rear, again to enhance positional stability of the helmet, and to aid in absorbing energy of blows directed laterally against the helmet. In conventional headband assemblies including front, rear and side elements or portions, all the band elements are ordinarily of substantially equal width and are arranged with their longitudinal axes lying substantially in a common plane. However, in a helmet having earcups positioned to enclose the wearers ears, the earcups often project above the preferred level of the front and rear headbands; consequently, side headband elements in a conventional headband construction as just described would interfere with the earcups, unless the front and rear headbands were positioned undesirably 3,613,113 Patented Oct. 19, 1971 higher than such preferred level. For this reason, it is customary to omit side headband elements from a rigging to be used in a helmet having earcups. Nevertheless it would be desirable to provide a rigging, usable in conjunction with earcups, affording the advantages achieved with side headbands as well as the preferred disposition of front and rear headbands.

The provision of a satisfactory arrangement for adjusting the size of the rigging to conform to a particular wearers head presents further difliculties, Proper fit of the rigging is important for both comfort and stability of the helment, and, owing to the diversity of individual head sizes, as a practical matter it is necessary for attainment of proper fit that the rigging be adjustable in size. However, lack of care in adjustment of the rigging may result in insufficient spacing between the head and shell at some locality within the helmet; i.e. the head may be positioned so close to the helmet at such locality that, upon receiving an impact, the helmet comes into contact with the head, transferring the force of the impact directly to the head and largely vitiating the intended protective effect of the helmet.

From the standpoint of ease of adjustment, one satisfactory known headband construction includes at least two band elements (one fixed and one movable) having overlapping ends adjustably secured to each other by surfacecontact fastening elements of a type permitting continuous variation in the amount of overlap and hence in the size of the headband. Such construction is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,241,154. While the continuous variability of the headband size permits an advantageously precise fit of the headband to the head of a wearer, the adjusting means does not in itself prevent inadvertent or careless positioning of the movable headband element so close to the helmet shell as to permit undesired contact between the shell and the head.

An alternative headband construction, disclosed in applicants copending application Ser. No. 614,246 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,447,162 filed Feb. 6, 1967 for Safety Helmet with Improved Stabilizing and Size Adjusting Means, includes inelastic front and rear headbands each anchored at opposite ends to a helmet shell and each having a fixed length shorter than the corresponding distance between its anchorage points as measured along the internal circumference of the shell, so that neither the front nor the rear headband can be inadvertently adjusted to permit contact of the head with the shell. One or more pads are detachably secured to the rear headband to permit size adjustment of the headband structure, i.e. by varying the number and/or individual thickness of the pads. In this headband size adjusting arrangement, the headband size is not continuously variable but is changeable only by discrete increments determined by the thicknesses of the pads added to or removed from the rear headband; accordingly, the adjusted headband size may only approximate, rather than conform exactly to, the size of a particular Wearers head. It would be desirable to provide continuously variable size adjustability, for precise fit, in a headband construction affording the features of safety that characterize the headband structure described in the just-mentioned copending application.

Another problem encountered in conventional helmet riggings is the discomfort sometimes caused by the headstraps extending across the crown of the wearers head. One arrangement of such straps, also shown in the aforementioned copending application Ser. No. 614,246 and satisfactory from the standpoint of helmet support and stability, comprises a first strap extending fore and aft, and a pair of straps extending diagonally of the helmet shell. It is found that the relatively narrow straps bearing directly on the head may be uncomfortable, especially in the region where they cross. A pad is sometimes secured to the straps in such position as to be interposed between the straps and the head, for cushioning the head; but owing to variations in head shape among individual wearers a pad secured to the straps in any given fixed position may not be properly located for the desired engagement with the top or crown of a particular wearers head, and hence may still occasion discomfort. It would be desirable to provide means adjustable to conform to different head shapes for eliminating the discomfort of head straps.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention broadly contemplates the provision of a rigging, in a rigid helmet shell adapted to receive the head of a wearer, including a front headband and a rear headband each of inelastic material and fixed length, respectively extending across the front and rear portions of the interior of the shell and each having opposite ends anchored to the interior of the shell at opposite sides thereof, the front and rear headbands each being shorter in length between its anchored ends than the corresponding distance as measured along the interior circumference of the shell; and a pair of side headbands respectively extending along the opposite sides of the interior of the shell between the front and rear headbands, each of the side headbands being fixedly secured to the front and rear headbands inwardly of the anchored ends of the front and rear headbands. One or more pads may be detachably secured to the rear headband for size adjustment.

'In this arrangement, the inadjustable front and rear headbands positively prevent any adjustment of the headband structure that might result in contact of the shell with the wearers head, while the side headbands serve to enhance the stability of the helmet on the head. The headband structure of the invention may be used in combination with earcups mounted or suspended within the side portions of the helmet, the side headbands being positioned to extend above the earcups. As a particular feature of the invention, the front and rear headbands may be made relatively wide so as to engage the wearers head at preferred localities, lower than the upper extremities of the earcups, and the side headbands may be made substantially narrower than the front and rear headbands and may be secured only to the upper portions of the front and rear headbands so as to accommodate the earcups.

Further in accordance with the invention, each of the side headbands may comprise two portions, respectively secured to and projecting from the front and rear headbands in overlapping relation to each other. The facing surfaces of the two portions of each side headband carry interengageable fastening elements for securing the portions together. These fastening elements permit adjustable positioning of the two side headband portions relative to each other in such manner that the extent of overlap of the two portions, and hence the effective length of the side headband comprising the two portions (i.e. the length of the band between its points of attachment to the front and rear headbands), may be continuously varied over a range of positions. As the side headbands are shortened, they draw the front and rear headbands closer together, thereby altering the head size of the headband structure and in effect permitting continuous variation in headband size between the incremental changes in size afforded by change in number or thickness of the detachable pads secured to the rear headband. Consequently, the adjustable side headbands permit precise selection of headband size to conform to a wearers head.

The fastening elements used on the side headbands may be cooperating, complementary, pressure-actuable surface contact fastening elements such as the fastening elements commercially available under the trade name Velcro, comprising a pair of fabric strips one having a surface bearing a continuous plurality of flexible small loops and the other bearing a continuous plurality of flexible small hooks engageable with the loops.

As a still further particular feature of the invention,

the rigging may include a pair of headstraps extending in crossed diagonal relation across the interior of the helmet shell above the top of the wearers head and secured at opposite ends to the shell, and a crown pad slidably suspended on the straps for engaging the top or crown of the head to cushion the head from the straps. Each of the straps extends through a pair of slots positioned adjacent to diametrically opposite edges of the crown pad, the straps passing above the center portion of the pad and crossing each other above the pad. The pad may be manually adjusted, by sliding of the pad relative to the straps, to the most comfortable position for a particular wearer.

Thus the invention provides a helmet rigging which is positively restrained against misadjustment such as might permit contact between the shell and the head and which is at the same time adjustable in a manner affording precise fitting of the rigging to a particular wearers head, with a headband construction having side headbands as well as front and rear headbands but so arranged as to accommodate earcups within the helmet shell.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a protective helmet in which the rigging of the present invention may be incorporated;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevational sectional view, taken as along the line 22 of FIG. 1, of a helmet structure embodying the present invention in a particular form;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3--3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view, similar to that of FIG. 3, showing a modified embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring first to FIGS. l-3, the helmet there shown includes a generally conventional rigid protective helmet shell 10, e.g. molded of glass fiber-reinforced plastic or the like, adapted to receive the head of a wearer and having a crown portion 12 shaped to extend over the crown and rear of the wearers head, as well as two opposed inwardly concave side portions 1 4 which depend from the crown portion in position to extend over the wearers ears. As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the inner surface of the helmet shell may be lined with a layer 15 of resilient compressible energy-absorbing material.

Within the concave side portions 14 are disposed a pair of sound-attenuating earcups 16, e.g. of conventional character, each comprising an outwardly domed earcup shell having an elliptically annular flange defining a recess for receiving and enclosing an ear of a wearer, with an internal lining of sound-absorbent material and a resiliently compressible annular seal mounted on the rim for engaging the wearers head in surrounding relation to his ear. The general construction of such earcups is well known in the art, and accordingly need not be described in detail.

In the structure shown, the earcups 16 are mounted in opposed end portions 18 of a flexible shield 19 (e.g. fabricated of a suitable textile material), which also includes a nape portion 20 connecting the two end portions 18 and extending around the nape of the wearers neck. The shield 19 is suspended within the interior of the helmet shell 10 as by means of straps 21 secured to the shell, with the earcups respectively disposed in the concave side portions 14 of the shell, as stated, in position to receive the wearers ears. The front edges of the shield end portions 18 may bear a plurality of snap fastener or like elements 22 for mounting a chinstrap to engage the wearers chin and thereby to aid in holding the helmet fixed in position on his head.

The described arrangement of the earcup 1 6 and shield 19 is described and shown, for example, in applicants copending application Ser. No. 686,500, now US. Pat. 3,470,564 filed Nov. 29, 1967 for Safety Helmet with Sound Attenuating Earcups. As also disclosed in that application, each of the shell side portions 14 may have mounted therein one or more flexible straps 24, extending across the concavity of the side portion, for engaging the outer domed surface of the earcup therein disposed, to urge the earcup against the wearers head.

Also disposed within the helmet shell is a rigging for supporting the shell on the wearers head in spaced relation thereto. This rigging includes a first pair of headbands respectively designated 26 and 27, and extending generally horizontally across the front and rear of the interior of the helmet shell, respectively. The front headband 26 comprises a central inelastic band portion 30 and two inelastic end loops 31 respectively stitched to opposite ends of band portion 30. Similarly, the rear headband 27 comprises an inelastic central portion 32 and a pair of inelastic end loops 33 connected by stitches to its opposite ends. The end loops and central portion of each of these headbands together constitute an inelastic but flexible band of fixed length. Each of the described central and loop portions of the headband may conveniently comprise one or more layers of inelastic material, e.g. an inelastic woven fabric.

A pair of metal anchorage plates 35, each having a pair of vertical slots 36, are respectively fixedly mounted to the interior of the shell 10 at opposite sides thereof by means of screws 37 extending through the helmet shell. The loops 31 of the front headband 26 pass through the forward slots of the two anchorage plates 35-, while the loops 33 of the rear headband 27 pass through the rear slots of the anchorage plates, which thus serve to secure both the front and rear headbands within the helmet shell. The length of the front headband 26 between its anchored ends (i.e. between the two anchorage plates 35) is shorter than the corresponding distance between the anchorage plates as measured along the interior circumference of the front of the shell 10; similarly, the length of the rear headband 27 between the anchorage plates is shorter than the corresponding distance as measured along the interior circumference of the rear of shell 10. Thus the front and rear headbands 26 and 27 are suspended across the front and rear portions of the helmet shell in spaced relation thereto, for engagement with front and rear portions of the wearers head, and serve as desired to prevent contact of the head with the shell even in the event of an impact on the shell; since these headbands are inelastic and fixed in length, they cannot be inadvertently adjusted in any way that might enable contact of the shell with the head.

A horizontally extending pad 40 (herein termed a sizeadjusting pad) is detachably secured to the inner surface of the central portion 32 of the rear headband 27, by means such as a pair of cooperating complementary pressure-actuable surface contact fastening elements 41 and 42 respectively mounted on the outer surface of pad 40 and on the inner surface of headband portion 32. These elements 41 and 42 may be strips of fastener material of the type commercially available under the trade name Velcro, one of these strips bearing a continuous plurality of small flexible loops and the other bearing a continuous plurality of small flexible hooks engageable with the loops.

The pad 40 may be removed and replaced with another (thicker or thinner) pad, or with a stack of such pads each having fastening elements of the Velcro type on its opposite surfaces for engagement with the next adjacent pad of the stack. The function of the pad or pads 40 is to adjust the effective internal circumference of the headband structure comprising the front and rear headbands 26 and 27 to conform to the head of a particular wearer, the headband size thus being changeable by replacing the pad 40 with another pad or stack of pads of different thickness, as described above.

The helmet rigging further includes three headstraps extending across the interior of the helmet shell 10, generally from front to rear thereof, in such position as to be disposed above the wearer's head. These three straps cross each other at a central locality in the interior of the helmet, and each of them is anchored at its opposite ends to the helmet shell, as hereinafter further described. Each of these headstraps is fabricated of an inelastic (e.g. woven textile) material.

The headstrap 44 extends generally along the fore and aft center line of the helmet shell. At its forward end it is secured to the shell by conventional means including a screw 48 and is stitched to the central portion 30 of the front headband 26 inwardly of the screw 48, so as to be held spaced away from the shell. At its rear extremity, the strap 44 is secured to the shell by conventional means including a further screw 49 and stitched to the central portion 32 of the rear headband 27 and inwardly of screw 49 so as to be held away from the rear surface of the shell. Straps 45 and 46, which extend diagonally of the fore and aft center line of the helmet, are similarly secured at their ends to the shell by conventional means including screws 50 and stitched to the front and rear headbands inwardly of these screws. The effective length of each of the headstraps 44, 45 and 46 (i.e. betwen the attached ends) is such as to prevent contact of the top of the wearers head with the crown of the shell 10. The stitched connections of the headstraps to the front and rear headbands 26 and 27 contribute to the positional stability of the two headbands as well as holding the headstraps in spaced relation to the shell. As shown, the two diagonal straps 45 and 46 cross each other beneath the fore and aft strap 44.

Stitched along the top edge of each of the headbands 26 and 27 is a Wide perforated flap 52 of leather or other suitable soft material for engaging the wearers head, having a thin cushion 53 of sponge rubber or the like bonded to its outer surface. Each of these cushioned flaps 52 extends across the lower (front or rear) portions of the headstraps 44, 45 and 46, serving to protect the wearers head from direct contact with the headstraps and to distribute any stresses applied to those straps over a substantial area of the wearers head.

The structure and arrangement of rigging elements thus far described is generally as disclosed in applicants copending application Ser. No. 614,246, filed Feb. 2, 1967 for Safety Helmet with Improved Stabilizing and Size- Adjusting Means.

In accordance with the present invention, the rigging of the helmet further includes a second pair of headbands, respectively designated 54 and 55, and respective ly extending (in a generally horizontal direction) in adjacent but spaced relation to the opposite sides of the helmet shell 10 from the front headband 26 to the rear headband 27. The front edge of each of these side headbands 54 and 55 is fixedly secured to the front headband 26 inwardly of the anchored ends thereof, and similarly the rearward ends of the two side headbands are secured to the rear headband 27 inwardly of the anchored ends thereof. Specifically, in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the forward edges of the two side headbands are respectively sitched to the opposite side edges of the central front headband portion 30, and the rearward ends of the two side headbands are respectively stitched to the opposite side edges of the central rear headband portion 32.

As particularly shown in FIG. 2, the width (i.e. vertical dimension) of the side headbands is substantially less than the width of the front and rear headbands, and the ends of the side headbands are secured only to the upper portions of the front and rear headbands, so that the lower edges of the side headbands are substantially higher than the lower edges of the front and rear headbands. Consequently, while the lower edges of the front and rear headbands are somewhat lower in level than the upper extremities of the earcups 16, as desired for optimum positioning of these front and rear headbands in relation to the wearers head, the side headbands are entirely above the earcups and do not interfere therewith though engaging the sides of the wearers head to enhance the stability of the helmet on the head and to aid in absorbing the energy of lateral blows on the helmet.

Each of the side headbands 54 and 55, in the embodiment of FIGS. 2-3, comprises two separate strips of inelastic but flexible (e.g. woven textile) material. One of these strips, designated 57, constitutes the forward portion of the side headband, being stitched to the front headband at its forward end as already described, and projecting rearwardly therefrom, the rearward end of strip 57 being free. The other of these strips, designated 58, is secured at its rearward end to the rear headband as de scribed above, and projects forwardly therefrom in overlapping relation to the strip 57, the forward end of the strip 58 also being free.

In each of the side headbands 54 and 55, the facing surfaces of the overlapping portions of the front and rear strips 57 and 58 bear cooperating complementary pressure-actuable surface contact fastening elements 60 and 61, such as strips of the Velcro material already described, one of these strips bearing a continuous plurality of small flexible loops and the other bearing a continuous plurality of small flexible hooks engageable with the loops. The front and rear strips of each side headband are secured to each other by pressing together their overlapping portions so as to effect interengagement of the described hooks and loops of the cooperating fastener elements respectively carried by the two strips. The nature of the described fastening elements is such as to permit continuous adjustment, over a substantial range of positions, of the amount of overlap of the two strips 57 and 58, and hence of the length of the side headband comprising the two strips. That is to say, the extent of overlap may be varied, within the range of positions permitted by the lengths of the two strips, in any amount desired by simply pulling the two strips apart to disengage the fastener elements, and pressing the two strips together again at any desired new relative position thereof.

Although the front and rear headbands 26 and 27 are, as already explained, restrained against any substantial displacement especially in a direction toward the shell, shortening of the side headbands 54 and 55 tends to draw the front and rear headbands closer together, and reduce the overall internal circumference dimension of the continuous head-surrounding band structure comprising the front, rear and side headbands. Thus the adjustment of the side headbands, as well as the replacement of the pad or pads 40, changes the effective size of the headband structure. In particular, while replacement of pads 40 can change the headband size only by discrete increments corresponding to the difference in thickness between the removed and replaced pad, minor adjustments in size between successive incremental changes may be effected by adjusting the length of the size headbands, thereby enabling fhe effective size of the headband structure to be made precisely conformable to the head size of the wearer.

As a further feature of the invention, a generally disc-shaped crown pad 63, e.g. comprising a disc 64 of soft leather or the like and a thin disc-shaped cushion 65 of resiliently compressible material such as sponge rubber bonded to the upper surface of the leather disc 64, is slidably suspended from the diagonal headstraps 45 and 46 so as to be interposed between the crown of the wearers head and the crossed portions of the straps. The crown pad 63 has a first pair of slits 66 positioned adjacent to diametrically opposite edge portions of the pad, and oriented for register with diagonal headstrap 45. A second pair of diametrically opposed slits 67, similar to the slits 66, is also formed in pad 63 in position for register with the diagonal headstrap 46. As shown, straps 45 and 46 respectively extend through the pairs of slits 66 and 67, in such manner that the two straps overlie, and cross above, the central portion of the crown pad. This method of mounting the crown pad on the straps permits limited sliding movement of t the crown pad relative to the straps so as to adjust the position of the crown pad precisely to the location of the crown of a particular wearers head.

In use of the described helmet, i.e. for protection of the head of a particular wearer, major size adjustment is effected by selecting and mounting on the rear headband 27 a pad or pads 40 of appropriate thickness. Minor size adjustment, to conform the headband structure precisely to the wearers head, is then effected by appropriate selection of the length of the side headbands 54 and 55, achieved by securing the front and rear strips of each of these headbands together with the proper extent of overlap to provide such side headband length. The crown pad 63 is adjusted in position, on the diagonal straps 45 and 46, for proper engagement with the crown of the wearers head. When the helmet, with the rigging thus adjusted, is placed on the wearers head, the front, rear and side headbands form a substantially continuous headband structure engaging the head around the entire circumference thereof, while the headstraps 44, 45 and 46 extend over the crown of the head, which is cushioned therefrom by the pad 63. The headbands and headstraps cooperate to hold the helmet shell stably on the head, but in spaced relation thereto at all points, and also serve to absorb the energy of blows and impacts striking the shell.

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown an alternative embodiment of the invention, differing from that described above in that each of the side headbands comprises a single, unitary strip of inelastic (e.g. woven textile) material 70, stitched at its forward and rearward ends to the front and rear headbands respectively in the manner already described. The positional relationship of the two side headbands 70 (one of which is illustrated in FIG. 4) to the front and rear headbands and to the earcups 16 is the same as in the case of the two-piece side headbands described above. The side headbands 70 in the embodiment of FIG. 4 are not adjustable in length but are in other respects similar to the side headbands 54 and 55 in that they engage the sides of the wearers head, contributing to the stability of the helmet and aiding in absorbing the energy of laterally directed blows against the helmet.

I claim:

1. A protective helmet including:

(a) a rigid helmet shell adapted to receive the head of a wearer and (b) a first pair of inelastic headbands respectively extending across the front and rear of the interior of said shell and each having opposite ends anchored to the interior of the shell at opposite sides thereof, each of said first pair of headbands having a fixed length between its anchored ends shorter than the corresponding distance as measured along the interior circumference of said shell;

wherein the improvement comprises:

(c) a second pair of headbands respectively extending along the opposite sides of the interior of said shell between said first pair of headbands, each of said second pair of headbands being fixedly secured at its opposite ends to said first pair of headbands inwardly of the anchored ends of said first pair of headbands, and being suspended between said first pair of headbands in inwardly spaced relation to said shell.

2. A helmet as defined in claim 1, wherein said shell has depending opposed side portions disposed to extend over the wearers ears, and further including a pair of earcups respectively mounted within said shell side portions for receiving the wearers ears, said first pair of headbands being substantially wider than said second pair of headbands, and said second pair of headbands being secured only to the upper portions of said first pair of headbands so that the lower edges of said second pair of headbands are higher than the lower edges of said first pair of headbands and respectively extend above said pair of earcups.

3. A helmet as defined in claim 2, wherein each of said second pair of headbands comprises two separate but overlapping portions respectively secured to said first pair of headbands, and two cooperating complementary pressureactuable surface contact fastening elements respectively carried by facing surfaces of said two overlapping portions for interengagement to secure said two overlapping portions together, said fastening elements being interengageable through a continuous range of relative positions of said two overlapping portions so that the length of each of said second pair of headbands may be continuously varied through a corresponding range of values.

4. A helmet as defined in claim 3, further including at least one size-adjusting pad detachably secured to the inner surface of the rearwardly disposed one of said first pair of headbands.

5. A helmet as defined in claim 2, wherein each of said second pair of headbands is a unitary inelastic headband of fixed length.

6. A helmet as defined in claim 1, wherein each of said second pair of headbands is continuously adjustable in length through a range of values of length.

7. A helmet as defined in claim 6, wherein the rearwardly disposed one of said first pair of headbands bears means for detachably securing to the inner surface thereof at least one size-adjusting pad.

8. A helmet as defined in claim 6, wherein each of said second pair of headbands comprises two separate portions respectively fixedly secured to said first pair of headbands, each of said separate portions having a free end, and means for detachably securing the free ends of said separate portions together.

9. A helmet as defined in claim 8, wherein said free ends of said separate portions overlap, and wherein said securing means for said free ends comprises a pair of cooperating complementary pressure-actuable surface contact fastening elements respectively mounted on facing surfaces of said free ends, one of said fastening elements bearing a continuous plurality of small flexible loops and the other of said fastening elements bearing a continuous plurality of small flexible hooks engageable with said loops.

10. A protective helmet comprising:

(a) a rigid helmet shell adapted to receive the head of a wearer, said shell having depending opposed side portions disposed to extend over the wearers ears;

(b) a pair of earcups respectively mounted within said shell side portions for receiving the wearers ears;

(c) a first pair of inelastic headbands respectively extending across the front and rear of the interior of said shell and each having opposite ends anchored to the interior of the shell at opposite sides thereof, each of said first pair of headbands having a fixed length between its anchored ends shorter than the cone sponding distance as measured along the interior circumference of said shell;

((1) a second pair of headbands respectively extending along the opposite sides of the interior of said shell between said first pair of headbands, each of said second pair of headbands being fixedly secured at its opposite ends to said first pair of headbands inwardly of the anchored ends of said first pair of headbands, said first pair of headbands being substantially wider than said second pair of headbands, and said second pair of headbands being secured only to the upper portions of said first pair of headbands so that the lower edges of said second pair of headbands are higher than the lower edges of said first pair of headbands and respectively extend above said pair of earcups, each of said second pair of headbands comprising:

(i) two separate but overlapping portions respectively secured to said first pair of headbands, and (ii) two cooperating complementary pressure-actuable surface contact fastening elements respectively carried by facing surfaces of said two overlapping portions for interengagement to secure said two overlapping portions together, said fastening elements being interengageable through a continuous range of relative positions of said two overlapping portions so that the length of each of said second pair of headbands may be continuously varied through a corresponding range of values (e) at least one size-adjusting pad detachably secured to the inner surface of the rearwardly disposed one of said first pair of headbands;

(f) a pair of headstraps extending in crossed relation to each other across the interior of said shell in position to extend and cross above the crown of the wearers head, each of said headstraps having 0pposite ends anchored to said shell; and

(g) a generally disc-shaped crown pad for cushioning the crown of the wearers head, suspended from said headstraps and slidably movable relative thereto so as to be adjustable in position to engage the crown of the wearers head, said head straps crossing above said crown pad.

11. A protective helmet including:

(a) a rigid helmet shell adapted to receive the head of a wearer and having depending opposed side portions disposed to extend over the wearers ears;

(b) a pair of earcups respectively mounted within said shell side portions for receiving the wearers ears; and

(c) an inelastic headband extending across the front of the interior of said shell and having opposite ends anchored to the interior of the shell at opposite sides thereof, said headband having a fixed length between its anchored ends shorter than the corresponding distance as measured along the interior circumference of said shell;

wherein the improvement comprises:

(d) a pair of side headbands respectively extending rearwardly from said first-mentioned headband along the opposite sides of the interior of said shell, said side headbands respectively extending above said pair of earcups, said side headbands being disposed in inwardly spaced relation relative to said shell.

12. A helmet as defined in claim 11, further including a rear headband extending across the rear of the interior of said shell, said side headbands being secured at their rearward extremities to said rear headband; and a pair of rigging means respectively disposed within said shell side portions, for urging said earcups toward the wearers head, each of said rigging means comprising a pair of crossed inelastic straps mounted within one of said shell side portions and positioned to engage the outer surface of the earcup mounted within that shell side portion, said earcups being suspended from the interior of the shell within said shell side portions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,192,536 7/1965 Benner 2--3 3,241,154 3/1966 Aileo 2-3 3,447,162 6/1969 Aileo 23 3,470,564 10/ 1969 Aileo 2--'3 3,486,169 12/1969 Rawlings 23 FOREIGN PATENTS 244,210 3/1912 Germany 1 2 -6 JAMES R. BOLER, Primary Examiner 

